To comply with the ethic of nonmaleficence, the nurse should:

To comply with the ethic of nonmaleficence, the nurse should:

• A. Focus on doing no harm.
• B. Always maximize benefit even if harm occurs.
• C. Follow patient requests even if harm results.
• D. Withhold beneficial information to avoid distress.

Answer: (A)

Nonmaleficence is the obligation to avoid causing harm in every action and decision, striving to prevent harm and minimize risk to the patient. In practice, this means choosing interventions that protect safety, prevent injury, and avoid unnecessary suffering, even when another approach might offer some benefit. The idea is to “do no harm” as a guiding standard. If we tried to maximize benefit even when harm could occur, we would be prioritizing outcome over safety, which can violate this principle. Respecting patient requests is important for autonomy, but if following a request would cause harm, nonmaleficence requires avoiding that harm and seeking safer alternatives or additional information. Withholding beneficial information to prevent distress undermines trust and informed consent, which are essential to ethical care and can lead to greater harm in the long run.

Nonmaleficence is the obligation to avoid causing harm in every action and decision, striving to prevent harm and minimize risk to the patient. In practice, this means choosing interventions that protect safety, prevent injury, and avoid unnecessary suffering, even when another approach might offer some benefit. The idea is to “do no harm” as a guiding standard.

If we tried to maximize benefit even when harm could occur, we would be prioritizing outcome over safety, which can violate this principle. Respecting patient requests is important for autonomy, but if following a request would cause harm, nonmaleficence requires avoiding that harm and seeking safer alternatives or additional information. Withholding beneficial information to prevent distress undermines trust and informed consent, which are essential to ethical care and can lead to greater harm in the long run.